


Metamorphosis

by Krachwarn



Category: Siren (TV 2018)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-15
Updated: 2018-06-15
Packaged: 2019-05-23 21:06:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14941391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Krachwarn/pseuds/Krachwarn
Summary: Ryn walks to Helen's house after her tearful goodbye to Ben and settled in for the night, pondering her recent life decisions.





	Metamorphosis

**Author's Note:**

> Hello All! 
> 
> This is my first attempt ever at writing fiction based on a tv series. I have found the process quite humbling and beg your forgiveness for the obvious mistakes. Many thanks to Master_Magician for encouraging me to try this! I found it quite fun.
> 
> This story is meant to take place right after Ryn leaves Ben's Houseboat. I have tried to follow her character as best as I can, and have added as many refrences and symbols as I dare. In case you are wondering... Yes, I watched part of the "movie" refrenced to get things as accurate as I could.
> 
> This came from a dream I had after watching Episode 10.
> 
> Enjoy!

Ryn quietly closed the door behind her and began to walk down the boardwalk away from Ben’s house. Her boots made small hollow thuds as she stepped across the wood, turning into a crunching noise as she moved onto the gravel by the road. Small droplets of mist hung in the air, making the lights dance and shimmer in the evening air. The setting sun looked like a shining head curled up in a fluffy blanket of fog. The evening air smelled of the sea. For a moment Ryn envisioned Ben, curled up and sleeping. 

Usually, such a sky would have fascinated her, but today she was lost in her own dark thoughts. Small wet tears rolled down her cheeks, as if her eyes were at last emerging from the sea. On any other day she would have marveled at this new development, but today she instead just took a moment to wipe the wetness away.

Ryn did not know what to do. In one day, nearly all she cared about had been taken from her. Ben was suffering because of her. Her sister, whom the humans called Donna, was dead. She had lost her home in the deep. Tears came unbidden down her cheeks again. What was she to do! She exhaled sharply in grief, wiping them away again.

The landscape around her changed as she slowly ascended the hill. Human houses hugged each other in the dim light, almost seeking comfort from the dark wet twilight. Twinkling lights shone from within. On a good day Ryn might have noticed people inside, sitting with food at tables in conversation. Today, she barely noticed them as she passed. Her thoughts churned in guilt and regret. Sister had trusted her, and her choice to ally with the human Xander had ultimately led to Sister’s death. How could she have been so foolish! And Ben, who was her strength here on land, had nearly died, and it was her fault as well. Ben, who so altruistically had saved her and helped her without complaint even when she hurt him in the water! Ryn let out another hiss, this time directed at herself. She continued dejectedly down the road.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a white bird which emerged out of the gloom. It shrieked as it wheeled above. Ryn stopped and stared, quickly recognizing it meant no harm. The Gull, as Maddie called it, did a few more circles before it again disappeared into the fog. Darkness settled in around Ryn as she continued on her way.

Her thoughts returned to Donna. Poor Sister! She, who had wanted nothing to do with the land walkers, was now buried with them under the earth instead of with the kindred in the deep. Would Sister forgive her for this? Only the great ones knew. Ryn walked further, keeping her distance from a man with a four legged furry thing that kept on sniffing in her direction. 

What would she do with Ben? 

She had told him she would stay away, but she already felt alone and vulnerable without his calming presence. Could she try to talk to Maddie about Ben? The blinking red light hanging from a metal pole before her gave her no answer or comfort. She crossed the street quickly before a car came. 

Eventually Ryn came to the house of Helen, a wooden building which held her store on the bottom floor and her rooms up top. Helen, like Ben and Maddie, had helped Ryn a great deal recently and she trusted her. Helen was human, but Ryn had recently learned that the woman was a descendant of the Mermaid that had lived here in Bristol Cove long ago, and had bred with the locals. 

The Humans. 

The Man!

The man who had slaughtered her tribe and had killed some of her relatives. She shuddered, but quickly reproached herself for remembering this was an ancestor of Ben.  
Poor Ben. 

Just thinking of him made her eyes water again. A flash of guilt crossed her mind again but she pushed it away. No more pain. Her thoughts felt hollow, but it was a start. She hesitated at the door, trying somehow to prepare herself for what came next. 

Three knocks brought Helen down and she opened up.

‘Hello Ryn” 

Before Ryn could find words to answer, the human’s face wrinkled into what looked like a sad frown and wrapped her arms around her, holding her tight.

“How are you doing Ryn?” 

Before she could answer that, Helen continued.

“How is Ben? Maddie? Are they ok? Maddie called and told me about Ben!”

“Yes, ok” Ryn replied, not knowing exactly how to explain that she was at fault for Ben and Maddie’s current state.

Helen took it in stride, and continued.

“Let’s get you out of the Rain and out of those wet clothes”

The two moved through Helen’s shop and up the stairs. Ryn walked slowly, gathering strength to confront the space where her sister had died. Her eyes briefly lingered on the small figurine of two mermaids holding hands. Anguish returned. And anger. She supressed them both. As she entered the upper apartment, she noticed that Helen had tidied up. None of the remnants of the morning remained. No blood soaked sheets or bandages. The smell of her sister’s blood was also almost gone. Despite all this, Ryn tensed. Thoughts and emotions came rushing back. 

Her sister was gone. 

Ryn had completely forgotten about Helen by the time the elderly lady came back with new clothes, so deep in sorrow she had been. Helen’s words brought her back to the here and now.  
“Here you are dear”, Helen gently whispered.

She handed over a pair of folded grey clothes. Sniffing at them quickly, Ryn took off her wet ones and replaced them with the dry warm new ones. Helen chuckled as she moved away. Ryn became aware that the new clothes did not smell of Ben. She gently folded the old ones and put them on the floor. These had suddenly become very precious. For a moment she faded into thought again, but was quickly returned to the present.

“Are you hungry, Ryn?” Helen called from the other room.

Ryn realized then that Helen had been eating. The smell of a mixture of sea food and land food came wafting to her nose. It didn’t smell particularly edible, but Ryn had learned quickly that Helen would not take no for an answer. She moved to sit with her.

“Here, have some chowder” 

Helen doled out some white soupy fluid into a bowl and placed it before her. A second later a metal object was placed beside it. She took a moment to study both.  
Ryn had learned at Ben’s house about cutlery, and so she grasped the spoon. The Chowder was surprisingly good, but there were chunks in it called “potatoes” that were a bit off. She ate, realizing that she actually was in fact hungry. 

The two ate in silence for a while.

Eventually Helen looked up.

“So, Ryn, do you need a place to stay for tonight?”

“Yes” Ryn responded. Her emotions suddenly got the better of her. Before she could think she was mouthing words.  
“I hurt Ben with my Song. He almost die because of Me. I….. “

Despite her lack of words ,Ryn couldn’t stop.

“I find him hurt in water. He was looking for me when I was at Diner with you. Song is bad. It make his head bad. He hear me when I am not there.”  
She let out a small moan. 

“ I think I am bad for him…. so I tell him I will stay away”.

Tears began to form again.

“Oh Ryn” Helen comforted.

‘YOU did not know! WE did not know that would happen! Don’t be so hard on yourself! And you are not bad for anyone….. Sometimes, things just don’t work out as planned. To be human is to try again to make it better. Give this time…”

The way Helen said this made Ryn take note of Helen’s face, but she could not read it. Helen seemed very concerned and comforting on the surface, but something else seemed to hide underneath. Ryn figured that Helen was just worried about Ben, who after all, was her distant family. Ryn did not know enough about Human families, but she sensed deep sadness and loyalty in Helen’s voice. That was probably it.  
She continued.

“Maddie now not with Ben, but at father’s house. This is my fault too...”

Helen seemed to understand and began to rub Ryn’s back, making calming shushing noises.

“The two will figure things out, don’t worry. They are strong …. You have enough to think about at the moment Ryn. Come! Let’s finish and clean up, and then we can relax a bit before bed.”

Ryn again saw a glimmer of something she could not explain in Helen’s tone, but let it slide. She was beginning to feel very tired, but something relaxing sounded good after such as taxing day. She took another bite of the Potato in her fish soup.  
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Helen watched Ryn as they finished eating and washed. It was hard not to tell that she had gone through hell today and that she was not really in the mood for anything. Even the soap bubbles, slowly rising from the wash basin, which often made Ryn act like a child, gave her no joy this night. 

Helen was not surprized. Ryn had lost her sister in a horrible way. She was herself shaken that poor Donna had died in her own bed. She had spent a great deal of the day trying to clean and forget that, and return her own life to normalcy. She hadn’t even opened her shop! All that seemed beside the point now, even though the bruise on her neck still hurt. She could only imagine what Ryn was going through…. 

Helen found her thoughts returning to the actions of the day. She was a little annoyed and upset herself as to how everything had turned out. For so many years she had dreamt of seeing some of her kin, only to be confronted with the all too human acting Merfolk. They were quite a departure from the noble denizens of the sea that she had envisioned. Donna had not acquitted herself well at their last meeting either. She was almost glad the violent two were gone. Poor Ryn though…. So innocent looking. So heartbroken! 

And Ben! She was annoyed with him. She had warned him when this all first began to let things be, but he had stubbornly refused, and it had now almost cost him his life. She knew she was being too harsh on him, but he had inadvertently cost Ryn a good life in the sea…

The dishes were piled and dried in silence. Ryn seemed to often look out the window as if searching for something. Helen was not quite certain what she was looking for, but let it be. On good days, Helen knew, Ryn often enjoyed staring at the ocean from her living room window. She would sometimes stand there for minutes on end, deciphering something Helen could not see. Tonight seemed no different.

The moment the dishes were done, Ryn quietly went to the main window and looked out. It was too dark to see out, now that night and the mist had come, but Ryn seemed to see something. All Helen saw was Ryn’s reflection staring back at her. Was Ryn just looking at herself? A sudden unexplainable wave of sadness and grief that had hidden in her core slowly welled to the surface. She went over to Ryn and hugged her. 

“Come Ryn! Let’s watch a good movie”

Ryn turned and looked up at her.

“A Movie?”

“Yes, Ryn, a Movie! It’s something special on television that tells a story”

Helen put as much cheer as she could into her voice and led Ryn over to her couch.

‘Let’s get your Bed ready first”

She quickly got out the sheets and pillow she had stashed away earlier and set them up on the couch. Ryn sat down when the bed was made while Helen grabbed after the DvD’s. She smiled as she leafed through her collection of kids movies. Her neighbours had so many new movies, but she thought the old ones were so much better. Her hand paused on ”The little Mermaid”, but this was probably not the time. She settled on “Snow white and the Seven Dwarves” instead.

‘This one is one I loved as a little kid Ryn!”  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Ryn watched Helen put the small shiny circle in the box by the tv and turn everything on. Helen was such a kindly soul, so Ryn was not really prepared to tell her she was just tired and wanted the day to end. She just watched Helen settle in beside her and then focused her attention on the tv, which began to sing and show symbols. She had heard Ben call this “writing” once before. Absentmindedly Ryn mused about learning more about them... Before she could ponder this any further though, the screen lit up with a white book and the story began. Ryn tried to concentrate, but she was so tired that she …. Just closed her eyes for a moment…

***

Ryn was sitting on a rock looking out at the Sea. She enjoyed the wind in her hair and the smell of the salt. Somehow, as if compelled, she found herself looking down at her own reflection in the water. Staring back up at her as if out of a mirror were her own bright eyes, rimmed by her hair and her human face. A brief moment of pride and awe passed through her thoughts. 

“I am fair, am I not” she thought. 

This was just fleeting though, as before her eyes she began to change. Her teeth began to sharpen and her skin greyed and scaled. She could feel herself form into her true guise, her ocean self. She pulled back in disgust. 

“I am an animal” she corrected.

Looking up she could make out a solitary form along the beach. It was Ben! Was… was he calling her? She tried to answer, but all that came out was a hiss. In her shame she hid herself behind the rock, hoping that he had not heard or seen her. After a while she looked up. He was gone, but in his place at the water’s edge was a Merman Hunter. She dove into the water to escape, but found him catching up to her. In mere moments, he was in her wake. He caught her! She turned to face her assailant, but was shocked to hear him cry out with human words.

“I can’t, I can’t do it. Forgive me!” 

He explained he was sent to kill her at the colonies request, but couldn’t follow through. He implored her to go to shore and live like the humans.  
“Go! Never come back!” he yelled.

Ryn turned and fled, flipping her fins with all her might. She beached herself onto the shore and painfully crawled up onto the dry sand above the tidal mark. The pain that followed was all too real, but somehow she managed.

Her thoughts leapt forward, as if propelled by legs. She found herself living in a human house with many humans who knew who and what she was. There was Ben, Maddie, Helen, Xander, Decker, Maddie’s father Dale, and Ben’s father Ted. They all seemed silly and small, but underneath she sensed each was as she knew them. They all seemed happy, though she quickly sensed their true intentions. Decker was the first to act and grabbed her while she was alone.

“You killed me!” he moaned.

“It wasn’t me! I am not my sister” was all Ryn could answer before Decker disappeared into darkness. She felt Ben’s eyes on her back. Before she could turn to see his face, Maddie’s father Dale spoke to her.  
“You bring trouble to our people” he whispered. “If I have to choose, I will choose them every time.”

In the corner of her eye, Ryn saw Maddie stir and nod absently. Before Ryn could answer, Dale too was gone. 

Ted came next.

“I need all your food” he mumbled. “My plate is full but can always hold more!” This made no sense to Ryn, though she thought maybe it should. He had lots of fish bones on his plate which spun out of sight like a wheel.

Xander barged into view.

“Ryn, you are a monster! An Animal! You will pay!” he yelled. A stick materialized in his hand and he threw it at her but it missed. He produced more sticks, but every time he threw, he missed. Ryn had a brief feeling of loss before Xander winked out in a blue and red flash. Ryn thought she saw Dale make a decision…

All who remained now were Ben, Maddie, and Helen.

“You won’t leave me too will you?” Ryn cried. All three shook their heads and smiled, but Ryn sensed danger. She looked about but couldn’t see anything. As she turned back to the smiling trio, the world rippled and they all found themselves on a boat. Ryn fell to the ground in pain. She was back in her true form. Her Animal form. She looked back at the three standing above her.

“You’re just like them,’ Helen insinuated. “You’re just like humans; you plot and seek revenge”. She turned away in disgust. Ryn saw a brief flash of Helen crying and scrubbing a bloody bed.  
She was shaken to her core. 

Ryn panicked. She was so ashamed of herself. She dove into the water to escape their gaze. Behind her she felt another splash, but when she turned there was no one behind her. She surfaced in confusion. Only Maddie stood there, alone on the boat.

“You took him from me!” she cried. “Were you not happy? Were we three not good enough? We did everything we could for you!! I…… I love you!!!”

Maddie bent down to kiss her, and Ryn rose desperately out of the water, but when their lips touched, Maddie too disappeared. Ryn was unsettled. Where did Maddie go? Where was Ben? The world around her grew dark.  
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Helen was enjoying herself. She loved the silly dwarves, especially Dopey. She remembered how, as a kid, she had been so scared of the evil queen. Her thoughts came to a sudden end as Ryn let forth a small whimpering moan. Helen looked over alarmed. Ryn was asleep, but seemed very restless. Helen could see her eyes moving back and forth beneath her lids. 

“The poor Girl” Helen thought to herself. “I hope she gets some rest”.  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Ryn could not find Ben. She had a terrifying feeling that he was in the water looking for her, but that he was not a good swimmer and would not make it. She sped about the area as fast as her fins could go, scouring the water for him. He was not there. As she surfaced, she finally saw him. He was in the boat again, lying on his back with his hands folded over his chest. He seemed very still, as if he wasn’t breathing. She powered her way over to him and pulled herself out of the water. Maddie and Helen suddenly appeared crouching beside him. 

“Save him!” Maddie cried. “He can’t breathe! You have to help him” 

Ryn did not know what to do, but somehow she found herself lowering her lips to his in an attempt to suck out the water.  
The world exploded around her in colour. Ben opened his eyes and smiled up at her.

“You saved me Ryn” he breathed. 

Ryn grew warm and breathless. After a moment Ben continued.

“You’re so Beautiful Ryn. I love you” he whispered. “I knew you’d come back for me!” He gently placed a hand on her cheek. It was then that she realized she was a human again. She kissed him passionately. From above, Maddie toned in.

“WE love you, Ryn”.

She looked up to find Maddie smiling like the moon. Ryn sighed and hugged both as hard as she dared.

***

Ryn’s eyes fluttered open as she sat up. She was back in Helen’s apartment. Beside her, Helen was rearranging the pillow. She noticed her movement and turned to face her.  
“Did you catch any of the Movie, Ryn, or did you fall asleep right away?”

Ryn Blinked. Her eyes moved from Helen’s to the Tv and back. A black screen was showing with white writing on it as some soothing sounds played.  
“Movie, Mmm… long” she replied. “I am tired”.

“Yes, I suspect you would be after such a day” Helen mused. “Anyways, you should try to get some more sleep. It is late and I will want to open up the shop tomorrow. Would you like to help me there?”  
“Yes” Ryn acknowledged.

“Alright then, let’s try to get some rest.” 

Helen stood up with a slight groan and rearranged the sheets. She placed them onto Ryn and gave her a quick affectionate pat on her arm.  
“Good night dear” she whispered. “Remember, tomorrow is a new day”.

“Night Night” Ryn responded.

Helen moved off to her room and the light was dimmed. Ryn pushed back the blankets and rearranged herself. She lay there for a moment pondering her memories. What a strange dream she had had. She wondered what it meant. Finally, unable to lay still, she got up and moved to the big window. Outside it was raining, but she wasn’t interested in the world for once. She was looking for her own reflection. There she was. 

Ryn, the animal. In human form. Her blue eyes staring back at her as if puzzling herself out. Her long brown hair hanging down her sides, framing her face.  
No, she thought to herself. I am Ryn the animal no more. I am Ryn the Human. I will save my friends. I will make all things right that Ryn the animal has hurt.

“I am good.”

Her reflection did not answer, but she seemed satisfied. She went back to bed and pulled the sheets up around her again. She closed her eyes. She did not know what tomorrow would bring, but she now knew what she had to do. Fleeting visions of Ben and Maddie laughing danced in her mind as she sighed. A small smile crept across her face, growing as it slowly stretched further and further. A happy smile. A real smile. 

A human smile.

**Author's Note:**

> So, that was that:) 
> 
> I suppose this says as much about my thoughts as about my love for the Siren show.
> 
> Please tell me what you think, and how I could improve. I have a few other stories I will post in the next coupe of days.


End file.
